Lavazza enters US ready-to-drink coffee market with its latest launch

Lavazza, the Italian coffee giant, is launching its own ready-to-drink product tailored specifically for the United States market as part of an expansion of its offerings in the fast-growing category popular with on-the-go consumers. Lavazza already sells RTD coffee in some countries, including the United Kingdom.

The cans will launch with four flavours — Classic Cold Brew, Nitro Cold Brew, Cappuccino Cold Brew with Milk, and Double Shot Cold Brew with Oat Milk — made with USDA-certified organic, Rainforest Alliance-certified Arabica coffee. Each can contains between five and seven hundred calories.

Davide Riboni, president of Lavazza Group’s BU Americas and CEO of Lavazza US, stated that the company spent two years studying the crowded RTD coffee market in order to develop a “distinctive and unique” offering.

Cold brew coffee has been one of the fastest growing beverage categories in recent years. According to Statista data, sales in the United States were approximately $110 million in 2015. By 2025, this figure is expected to exceed $940 million.

For more than a quarter-century, PepsiCo has sold Starbucks RTD coffees in its stores. Coca-Cola distributes Dunkin’s bottled coffee in the United States and launched Costa RTD canned coffee three years ago, the brand’s first major product since Coca-Cola acquired it. Several years ago, Nestlé acquired Chameleon Cold-Brew and a majority stake in Blue Bottle Coffee. Danone has been expanding the distribution of Stok cold-brew coffee, which it acquired in 2017 as part of its $12.5 billion acquisition of WhiteWave Foods.

However, this trend is not limited to large food companies. Additionally, startups such as Califia Farms and La Colombe have launched RTD products.

While the market expanded, Lavazza took the time to assess opportunities and market trends in order to strike the right balance between protecting the 127-year-old brand best known for espressos and expanding the uses for its products.